School board inks deal to play Prattville Lions football home games in Wetumpka
PRATTVILLE − The Prattville High School Lions football team will have Friday Night Lights this season, but the games will be about 45 minutes down Highway 14.
The Autauga County Board of Education and City of Wetumpka have struck a deal for the Lions to play "home" games at Wetumpka's municipal stadium, which opened in 2021. The Lions home turf, Stanley-Jensen Stadium is undergoing a $17 million renovation, and work won't be done in time for the regular season kickoff.
The City of Prattville owns Stanley-Jensen and is paying for the work. The Wetumpka City Council approved the deal with the BOE during its Monday night meeting. The contract charges $10,000 per game, and is on a game-by-game basis.
"That way, if the construction gets to the point that we can return to Stanley-Jensen earlier during the regular season, we can with no penalty to get out of the contract," Superintendent Lyman Woodfin said.
The trip to Wetumpka is necessary because the high school stadiums in the county − Autaugaville, Billingsley and Marbury − are not big enough to handle the crowds expected at the Lions game. Prattville High School is 7A in classification and one of the largest high schools in enrollment in the state.
Woodfin called the process to strike the deal "complicated." It involved more than just setting the dates and signing on the dotted line. Considerations had to be made. For home games, the school gets the proceeds for ticket sales, the Prattville High band boosters get proceeds from concession stand sales and the Prattville Quarterback Club gets $5 per vehicle parking fee.
Those funds may be cut a portion this season, Woodfin said.
"Going to the stadium in Wetumpka, we were able to keep the concession stands for the band boosters on the visitors side," Woodfin said. "Wetumpka wanted additional insurance in place, so the concessions on the visitors side won't go to the band boosters. So, all our fans need to order and eat on our side."
More: New images released showing plans for $17M Prattville stadium renovations
Parking fees and ticket proceeds may be cut a percentage as well. Woodfin pledged that shortcomings in the group's funding will be made up by the BOE, where allowed by law.
"It's not a perfect solution, but it addresses the issue," Woodfin said.
Prattville and school officials expect the work at Stanley-Jensen to be completed to a point where the last home game of the regular season can be played there, so seniors will have an opportunity to close out the season at home.
Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Marty Roney at mroney@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Prattville inks deal to play PHS Lions home football games in Wetumpka
